# NTSB ANC02LA126: Cessna 185, N9808X, Seward, AK, September 3, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 2, 2002, 16:00 local (Sep 3, 2002, 00:00 UTC) - Place: Seward, AK - Coordinates: 59.924999, -147.516662 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=59.9250&lon=-147.5167&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03 - NTSB case key (mKey): 55816 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC02LA126 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55816/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC02LA126 ## Probable cause A loss of directional control of the airplane due to the failure of the pilot to correct for torque/P Factor during the takeoff roll. A factor in the accident was a wet grass surface. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, takeoff - roll/run - torque/p-factor - not corrected, pilot in command (cause) - terrain condition - wet (contributing factor) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command - terrain condition - grass - On ground/water collision with object, takeoff - roll/run - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The commercial certificated pilot was departing a remote grass-covered airstrip in a tundra tire-equipped airplane. The airstrip is oriented northeast/southwest, and is about 800 feet long by about 30 feet wide. The pilot said that he taxied to the end of the airstrip to depart toward the southwest. He applied full power and the airplane began to veer to the left. He said he attempted to correct the left turn by application of the right brake, but the airplane slid on the wet grass surface of the runway. The left wing struck the top of a small tree along the left side of the airstrip. The pilot indicated the airplane continued in a left arc, off the left side of the runway, and collided with a large tree. The airplane received damage to the left wing, fuselage, engine motor mounts, and propeller. ## Factual narrative On September 2, 2002, about 1600 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N9808X, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees during the takeoff roll from a remote airstrip, about 58 miles east of Seward, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot, with an intended destination of Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed, nor was one required. On October 1, 2002, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel notified the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) that the accident airplane received damage during takeoff from a grass-covered airstrip on Montague Island. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on October 2, the pilot reported that he was departing an old Forest Service airstrip located at Patton Bay on Montague Island for a flight to Merrill Field. The airstrip is oriented northeast/southwest, and is about 800 feet long by about 30 feet wide. The pilot said that he taxied to the end of the airstrip to depart toward the southwest. He applied full power and the airplane began to veer to the left. He said he attempted to correct the left turn by application of the right brake, but the airplane slid on the wet grass surface of the runway. The left wing struck the top of a small tree along the left side of the airstrip. The pilot indicated the airplane continued in a left arc, off the left side of the runway, and collided with a large tree. The airplane received damage to the left wing, fuselage, engine motor mounts, and propeller. The pilot reported the wind at the time of the accident was from the north at 10 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9808X](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9808X), registered now, S/N 185-0008, built 1961 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 185 - Registry model: [Cessna 185](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-185) (registry code 2072802) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental I0-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-i0-470-series) (registry code 17027, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1850008 - Airframe hours: 4550 - Engines: CONTINENTAL IO-470F 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Roger O. Hackett - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 31, 2002, 37 hours before - Departed: MONTAGUE ISLAND, AK - Destination: PAMR, ANCHORAGE, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review June 17, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 1,200 total, 37 in this make and model, 1,200 as pilot in command, 37 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 10 knots - Visibility: 25 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 10,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 50 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020902027039A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020902027039A), Sep 2, 2002: Cessna 185, Pattonbay, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot was going to relocate the aircraft from the inland airstrip to the beach strip. During the takeoff from the inland airstrip, the soft sand pulled… ## Other investigations on N9808X (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB OAK71DVD26](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/OAK71DVD26), Jan 2, 1971: Cessna 185 (N9808X), Livermore, CA, substantial damage - [NTSB SEA69F0143](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA69F0143), Aug 9, 1968: Cessna 185 (N9808X), Portland, OR, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.